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Saturday, 20 March 2010

Ok ... common sense prevailed. I've carried on with my Romans in order to top up some of my existing units. They're still a bit 'work in progress' requiring shields and basing properly, but the painting is done. Here's some pics.

Auxilia(click for a larger image)

Ballista crewman(click for a larger image)

Legionaries(click for a larger image)

I've also got a cohort of Warlord plastic legion that are almost complete, plus a number of Warlord Celts on the go. I'll post pics when complete.

Sunday, 7 March 2010

I've been having a rummage through my 'skirmish' collection of 28mm Napoleonic figures to find what I can use to get the Light Division started.

Here's the start of the 52nd Oxfordshire Light Infantry and a detachment of the 95th.(click for a larger image)

The 52nd will initially be a 20 figure unit, i.e. 5 bases of 4 figures. I'll need a pair of flag wielding ensigns and may be a drummer for the empty base which will then take pride of place in the centre of the unit. Figures are mainly Front Rank with a few Foundry.(click for a larger image)

Here are the 95th. I have a few more models including a couple of the excellent Perry plastic riflemen. These are Front Rank and Foundry. Is that Rifle officer brandishing a straight heavy cavalry sword ... ? ;-)(click for a larger image)

I noticed an advert in the latest Wargames Illustrated previewing Victrix's new Portuguese Cacadores which look rather splendid! I'll also need to find models suitable for 'Black Bob' Crauford and his staff.

Anyway, the plan is get the other 8 redcoats painted before ordering the rest of the 52nd and 95th ... crumbs how disciplined eh? But there are a pile of Romans on my painting table demanding my attention!

Thursday, 4 March 2010

I've been listening to Sharpe's Battle (audio book) whilst painting Romans recently and it's had the predictable effect of once again piquing my interest in all things Napoleonic. I've even been re-reading the Foundry 'Napoleon' rules, which I like the look of but some of the rules need a bit of clarification.

Anyway, the Sharpe book has a marvellous description of the Light Division coming to the rescue of the 7th Division at Fuentes de Oñoro, after Wellington had sent the 7th too far south where it was subjected to the vigorous attentions of the French.

This then led me to look at the Light Division in a little more detail ... Like all military formations the structure and content of the Light Division during the Peninsular Wars varied during the course of the campaign. However, this seems to be a reasonable description

Assuming each unit consists of 20-24 figures, that would mean purchasing and painting a total of around 200+ infantry, let alone the artillery and cavalry! Clearly this is not feasible (not for me at least). If we assume that for many actions, some elements of the division would not be available, i.e. on other duties, etc, then the following might still be considered a reasonable approximation of the Light Division.

That's around 100 infantry, 2-3 guns and 12 cavalry, plus some skirmishers (which I already have painted). Now that does seem more achievable...!? Plus it's not all redcoats. The 95th are in green, Caçadores in brown and the Portuguese Line are dark blue.

I may have an outbreak of common sense and return to all of my other projects, or perhaps my enduring interest in the Napoleonic wars will win out and I'll start painting up figures for more than just a skirmish?

Oh ... and case you're interested, it will probably be Front Rank all the way. The new plastics from Victrix are very good but putting them together is just too fiddly. Not sure about the dipping either - seems to make the figures look too brown. One reason I like the figures is the splendid uniforms.